Production of arecoline



.Qf ester, :the ztree 4aci patented May 2i, 1,9;5'10

PRODUCTiON 0F AREGQLENE? Lawrenee Howland Knox, New link, .Yeese 'signor Ato' `Nopeo Chemical fgginpany, Har-rigori,

N; J., a corporation of Newjersey No Drawing. Application January 24,1194?,-

Serial No. 724,243

' 16 Claims. :1

This inventionjrelatesto the production of arecoline and more particularly to a new process for producing arecoline in a simple and efcient manner from relatively inexpensive starting malMarthe @resent-.mime areglineis obtained-Loom.- mereialllyeby the extnaetion of .beta1 nuts t9 trieis -`obtained :.used-lfQr yat-isms plliloes" iid-1231itioulanl-y byyeteninanans .anantbelmintc- ..411 though. there gifs .a ...eene'lelerable demand for this c onlm11.r1 :l.4 as. .-yet. lpneeiieel eoiemeteial method-fofnroduoingl .it `syritheii..Call-y has been developed.

:Cine:nexnielynmees nosed esse and@ mvqlye. erelue. time acid;no preeiueefearleemeihex pmeridne.; thiseonipeund is tlieilfmet. ed @produclmeth.. -fearbemethely Rieerlfine'yhih ie then Nominated ae/.the 3-Reati@ and fthereeff .lilo drogennonetheeeositien and .the-.bromine rein the :ioeeition -Earefenlit @ff ,asfhygiregen ffbremifa thoseivinaareeoline the .1f-protect. This neeess is retheinyolved sitleasis toa mixture d -Laracaidineuaild .brein ne substitution produ@ eensequ ntly th' air-.ecolinegis .rather'lo An Iier syn r,

nienke been pfle- ,LBer- 51.18.0.64;9132

ca inetlioigy group, respectively, inthe .tlfir'eeezpet that theV eldehyd ybeox'idied to ,the carbCXyl group and the-resltihg .eeidthriesteid .with methylll'hol Lto prodileareolrl l'lwiiv, V.if one .attempts t0 .oxiiz'e .this aldelide grjep., the 'ring' .structure .ofthe eomiou'zid' iS. vdestro 'di QonSequentlY, oldei' ,t0 .Obtain areeoliiiefro the airaeaidine ...aldehydegft neeeSSayt Carry out a .ratler lone-andivoved synthesis- Fillet', thefaldehyde S-,ieaeteclwitlihydife .iinethe thereultne ,QXieeiS dehydratedto; fvexthecerrespondngnitrile, .thefnitrileis then fhydrmyzei to .poduceemacaidne and naltly the araeaide sesifried withmethyl aloohol .togve areooline. Anotherfsynthesis t .of larecoline, and the most-fre.- eently reported/(Mannion, Ber.75B,1480,.f61942)) employs metio/lamine .hydrohleride and :formale .deiiyde to Obtain araad-ine faldehyde which fis theneonverted to areeelinebythefsememvelted eynthesiszas is'usedin the-ealerfeagee.

ef. tti.. methyl eSteref-gnipf.

sationvafgametnyi;

It is the object of this invention to grovde a new process for producingarecolina Another' object voftheinven-tion is to provide aA commercially practicable processifor i.the lproduction of arecol'ne.

A further object of theinyexntvion is to utilize a by-pro'duct of the synthesis of Ylf2-alanine to produce arecoline.

will een# 2b@ pound is first onverted into tertiary aiine methylation'with-.femeldehyde and flermie i1.; thus/giving bis-.-eyanoethin ,-methylemiee. Iii the next step .of theV process the .bis-.(-oyanoethyl) methymine isoonvete'd .to bs'- (-arbr' methoxyfethyl)metliylamne ,pr to the oor e,.- sponding carbethoxy compound yby reaction .w ii acidied methanol' or acidiel',.ethano1 resp or iively- .Inthis.reattivo-themeesten@ groups. te each Vconvert'e'ldinto ape b 'ethoxy or (Car tfir' oxyigzjoux, VreSpmjtv ey,. Sisiea'eieh- 'Whie'heier next ,treated with #kalme @ontlenen-g in the presence pjf esoneri@ te give 1-;gm 'y1 13 cafbmethozyffbppy. Jand 'methanol ...01' 11.-.' methyM-'cerbet Xypipeiidene [eed ethanol.. respectively. e menden@ compound iS thee reduced to the Leer'rie'spbnding 411.1.' roxy-piper# dine 'b 'y treatment with hydrogen iii the piges.- ence of a catalyst'. lnltliein, step ofthe-,process this hydroxy-pipefidme compound is 'dehydrated to give in the rst case areeolineaneliinthe second case hQmo-arecqlin-e which may readi1y;be converted to areooline by replaoing the' ethyl radical of the carbethoxy gronpwith a methyl radical by any-suitable means, e. g. by hydrolysis and then Yre-estenifica-tion with methanol, or by .an ester interchange.

In carrying Q utxtlie f lrstfstep of the process, the bis- (-cyanoethyl amine which is employed may be the crude material which is obtained as a byproductie thefQrQeueiiQn-fof fzeleniee-Qmiflee" sired, the crude material ginayfiirstbe ,nurAiie`c-1 by distillation or other sui-table neans beforeit lis usedrn-ihe Dreef-fes: Ob euslytheiSeureeeQf-ithe biS- .(feyerleethyl) .famine materiel and :it maybeebtainedfiremaeydesi drisouree 1110erwineeutthemethmat.,.oef-leise(eeyenoethyllamine, 'itis -r..e.act.ed-.w.th aevreximatelyemimelecular quantities of aqueous formadlehyde and formic acid by heating the reactants together for a suitable period of time, e. g. '7 to 8 hours, at a convenient temperature, e. g. from 60 to 100 C., to bring about the desired reaction. When the methylation is completed the water contained in the reaction mixture is evaporated, preferably by heating the mixture on a steam bath under reduced pressure. In order to prevent loss of the methylamine derivative during this concentration step it is advisable to add to the reaction mass a suiicient quantity of hydrochloric acid to convert the amine into the hydrochloride salt. The hydrochloride salt of the amine is non-volatile and thus any likelihood of the amine being distilled over with the water which is being removed is eliminated. If desired, sulfuric acid may be similarly employed in place of the hydrochloric acid. The above reaction may be illustrated as follows:

CH2-CH2-GN CHr-CHr-CN CHz-CHa--CN Following the methylation step of my process the bis- (,B-cyanoethyl) -methylamine is treated with 20% absolute methanolic or ethanolic HC1 in an amount equal to about 5 to 6 times the weight of the amine. In carrying out this step of the process it is not necessary to isolate the bis- (-cyanoethyl) -methylarnine following its production in the previous step and thus, if desired, the reaction mass after having been freed of Water in the first step may then be treated in accordance with the second step of the process. If desired, of course, the bis-(-cyanoethyD- methylamine may be isolated following the methylation step and prior to the treatment with the methanolic or ethanolic I-lCl. In the second step of the process the two cyano groups contained in bis-(-cyanoethyl)-methylamine are converted by alcoholysis to carbomethoxy groups when methanol is employed, and to carbethoxy groups when ethanol is employed, thus converting the bis-(,B-cyanotheyl) -methylamine into bis-(-carbomethoxyethyl) methylamine or bis-(-carbethoxyethyl)-methylamine, respectively. Although it is preferred to use hydrochloric acid in this step, other mineral acids, e. g. sulfuric acid, may be substituted therefor. This reaction may be illustrated as follows, R being either ethyl or methyl:

GHz-CH-CN CH3-N anordnen 2R20 Cnr-CHQ-CN y In carrying out the condensation step of my process, the condensation of the bis-(-carbomethoxyethyl methylamine or bis-(-carbethoxyethyl) -methylamine is carried out in an inert solvent, `preferably naphtha, in the presence of an alkaline condensing agent such as metallic sodium, potassium or lithium, sodium methoxide, potassium methoxide, lithium methoxide, sodium ethoxide, potassium ethoxide, lithium ethoxide, sodium amide, potassium amide, lithium amide, sodium hydride, potassium hydride, lithium hydride, and similar compounds of the other alkali metals, etc., and the mixture heated so that the methanol or ethanol which is split out, as illustrated in the following reaction, distills over.

C Ha- G Hr- 0 R condensing CH3-N A mole per mole ratio, or at least approximately so, of the condensing agent and the bis-(- carbalkoxyethyD-methylamine is employed. The distillation is continued until the methanol or ethanol, as the case may be, ceases to come over. I naphtha has lbeen employed as the solvent medium and methanol is the alcohol being split out, the distillate at rst consists largely of methanol which is immiscible with the small amount of naphtha that co-distills with it. Thus in such a case the completion of the reaction is readily apparent since when methanol ceases to distill over, the distillate no longer separates into two layers. Also at this .point the temperature rapidly rises to the boiling point of the solvent naphtha employed. If ethanol is the alcohol being split out in the condensation process or if a solvent miscible with methanol is employed, completion of the reaction may be determined by observing the refractive index of the distillate. As the last of the alcohol is distilled over, the refractive index of the distillate will, of course, coincide with that of the solvent being employed. Also as the last of the alcohol distills over, the temperature will quickly rise to the boiling point of the solvent. It is preferred to employ a naphtha having a boiling point range between C. and 150 C. In place of naphtha, solvents such as toluene, Xylene, benzene, etc. may be employed; however, these aromatic type solvents are not nearly as satisfactory since their use in the condensation step leads to the production of varying amounts of resinous products and decreases the yield of the desired cyclic keto ester. Furthermore, methanol is miscible with such solvents and therefore when such solvents are used it is more difficult to determine when the reaction has been completed when methanol is the alcohol being distilled over than is the case when naphtha is used as the solvent. Aliphatic hydrocarbon solvents similar to naphtha may, of course, be substituted therefor, if desired. When all the alcohol has been removed from the reaction mixture, the reaction mixture is allowed to cool and the insoluble sodium enolate which separates, i. e. when sodium or a sodium compound has been employed as the alkaline condensing agent, is removed by ltration and dissolved in cold water, employing about one liter of water per mole of the condensed compound. This solution ls then acidied to methylA 3" carbomethoxy-4-piperidone hydro-f 15V chloride or 1-methyl-Secarbethoxyei-piizreridoneL hydrochloride, respectively. It ispreferred t'o convertv the piperidone compound tof'the' hydro- I cl'iloridevv salt thereofv sincev this compound" is more: easilyl Yhandled 'inA the--next-'1 stepv` of theV`` 20" process'Y than is the 'freebase-v Furthermore; the freeL base isv not a stable compound ascritttends toundergo internal salt formation' which rei-A actionY is not reversible; The hydrochloridesalt which precipitates fromthey ether' solution -is 251 sufciently :pure 'to' be used inthe next step e oiV the process, i. e.- the reduction step:f In:p1|ace ofj ether,- chlorinated' hydrocarbon solvents', e: Vgz' chloroform, may be employedin'converting the piperidone compound'to the 'hydrochloride salt;

Incarrying out4 the reduction' of the piperidon'e` compound; the Vcompoundis"dissolved in methan'ol or" ethanol andA subjected' `to hydi'ogenati'oh in''the presence of Adams 4platinurnj oxide cata`A lyst (this may be upurchased'froni the American" 35 Platinum`v Works of Newark; l\TeWf-Jersey)l under"4` apressureV of about Liolbs. per squarein-ch' of' hydro-gen, although higher hydrogen "pressures"` may be employedif desired. (Adams-*platinurn*l oxide catalyst is a Well-known` hydrogenatio'n 5^- catalyst developed by Roger Adams 'and co` Worl'ers at `theL U niversity of Illinois;` y The` chem= ical composition of' this catalyst is PtOzgHgO'.' Detailed procedures for preparingA thiscata'lyst* are given on pages 453-470of*0rganicl Syri`Y 45 theses, Collective volumel I,` second; edition; ed-r`- itedbyA; H. Blatt and `Published, iii-*19211* by John l/Vileyl and Sons, Inc. of Ne'vvYorki' Methods for preparing this well-known catalyst may also.

arations by Weygand, published Iin 1945iV by Inj-i ters'cien-ce Publishers, Inc. of. 'New York" Ih'i order to speed up this 'reaction and greatlyreducev` the'amount' of platinum oxide` required, a'small amountv of a freeinorganic-base, er giany'one 55` piperi'done may itself 'be' added tothe^a1cohof--65ff solution. The exact manner in which the'l free base aids in bringing about the` hydrogena'tio'n in such an improved manner Ahas as yet-not been4 determined, and therefore I do not 'wishitdbe bound to any particular' theory in- .explanation 7D of this phenomenon. Regardless ofthe'A reason".l therefor, I'have discovered that "by carrying out thereduction as described above, the'process can; betearrd'outifa more e'ciently 'andmuch"lessI expesively than; ever: before.

piperi'done allE having been-reduced'- atf the l comifff Justa very small amountof the'ifr'ee'in': 6g

pletion offthe reaction;V When the process-i carried out in this manner; the time oi? reaction-l` may: beireducedfromfSO' hours-downto asllow as G hours andv at the -f sameV time the amountq off platinum 'oxide which is employed may be ree"- duced to"as-1oWas1/2o-of theamountf wlii would otherwiseberequiredl When'v reductio off' thefl-piperidone' derivative is comp1ete; a dro ofthe` reaction` mixturel gives no Acoloration?vvit ferricichloridf Reduction converts*-the*is-piperj idone *hydrochloride derivative to fthecorrespoh'd'" Y ings 4-lhydroxy-piperidine hydrochloride fder'fivaiN tives' This -reaction may be illustratedfas"follows? Irithe nextstepofthe process the 4hydroxy` piperidine hydrochloride is' dehydrated byl treat# ment With a compound such as thionylchloride-j orv phosphorusfoxyohloride. In this reaction"the hydroxyr group from the Lii-position. and the'hyf' drogen from theBLpOsition are split' off', thusY giving rise to a double bond between the. 3-posi tion. and the. 4-pjo`sit'i'on.. If"1me'thy`13.c'arb methoxy 4 hydroxypiperidine hydrochlori eff; was the compound.. dehydrated, the. product''willA` be -thehydrochloride salt ci arecoline ('m'ethyL.. l-methyl-A-S, 4-tetrahydropyridine-3carboxylv ate-). On thevother hand,'if the compound die:- hydrated was,A the,v corresponding carbeth'ox piperidine, the productwill be the hydrochloride; salt of homo-arecoline (ethylester Vof aracaidinel... This. product mayreadily beconverted toarecoline Aby hydrolysis :to vthe .free .acid 4.(aracaidine.' and reesterification with.methanol-byany ofi'the; vvellknown-.methods An Y outstandingi f'eaturefi of this step oflrthefprocessgis the fact .that-the.. dehydration is .carried ,outuinthe absence offa'ny@l solvent.' It has al-ways beeny believed wto be heces-1k saryv in such dehydration reactions-tovdissolve the compound being treated-inan vinert solvent priori; to the additioniof the; dehydra'tngagent;` however, I have 'found'that with'thecompounds'beingt; treated by the processof;myiinventiongz dehyd'rlaf. f tion may be carried outV bythe yaddition of one of?? the dehydrating agents :listed .abov'e Vtofthe come@ pound to be dehydrated. incomplete absence of solvent, and furthermore the results obtained are far superior to those given by; processes '1 used heretofore. The hydroxygpiperidine hydrochl rideV ysaltsvvhich aretoy be dehydrated may K warmed* f slightly'y lon'a st'eainbathVx and"- the'-de-' hydrati'ng agent then slowly added with stirring. When the reaction has been Icompleted, which will be readily apparent since the evolution of HC1 gas will cease on completion of the reaction, the mass is cooled, dissolved in cold water and neutralized with a weak base; the arecoline or homo-arecoline, as the case may be, is then extracted from the aqueous solution with chloroform. The solvent is then removed by distillation and the residual oil distilled under reduced pressure to give the crude alkaloid. If homoarecoline has been produced, it may be converted to arecoline as described above at any convenient point following the dehydration; or, if desired, the ethyl group may be replaced with the methyl group at any point after the condensation step of my process. It is preferred to employ either thionyl chloride or phosphorus oxychloride as the dehydrating agent, and to carry out the dehydration in the absence of a solvent for the piperidine compound. However, if desired, other dehydrating agents may be employed, such as, for example, concentrated hydrochloric acid, a mixture of acetic acid and concentrated hydrochloric acid, -concentrated hydrobromic acid, etc. However, these dehydrating agents must be used in amounts in excess of the amount required for dehydration with the excess amount serving as a solvent medium in which the reaction takes place. Also if desired the dehydration may be carried out by dissolving the free piperidine compound in an inert solvent, such as, for example, pyridine, aromatic hydrocarbon solvents such as benzene and toluene, aliphatic hydrocarbon solvents such as naphtha, hexane, etc., and then adding the dehydrating agent to this solvent solution. However, the preferred procedure employing the preferred dehydrating agents gives far superior results as compared to the alternative procedures. give comparatively low yields, and in many cases the carbalkoxy group at the S-position of the piperidone compound is hydrolyzed to the free acid. When that happens, it is necessary to isolate the acid compound and then re-esterify it with methanol which, of course, increases the cost of the process and the time required to carry -Pure arecoline may be isolated as the hydrobi'omide salt from the distillate comprising the crude alkaloid. This may be done by dissolving the crude arecoline in a low molecular weight monohydroxy alcohol, e. g. methanol, ethanol, isopropanoLbutanol, amyl alcohol, etc. of which I prefer to employ ethanol, and adding sufiicient 50% absolute ethanolic HBr to give a weakly acidic solution. This solution is then allowed to stand for about a day at a low temperature, e. g., approximately C. The arecoline hydrobromide, which has a melting point of 170 C., crystallizes and may be separated from the alcohol by filtration. In animal therapy the arecoline is employed as the hydrobromide salt, which is a further reason for converting it to this compound.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of this invention, reference may be had to the following example which is merely illustrative of the invention and is not to be construed in a limiting sense:

aldehyde and 1 liter of 90% formic acid. The reaction mixture was heated on a steam bath The alternative procedures 8 for approximately 7 lhours and then 1 liter of concentrated hydrochloric acid was added. The reaction mixture was then freed of water by heating on the steam bath under a reduced pressure of approximately 30 mm. The water-freev oil which contained bis-(-cyanoethyl) -methylamine hydrochloride was then dissolved in 2700 cc. of absolute methanol and this solution treated with 2700 cc. of absolute methanol containing 1400 grams of dry HC1 which solution had been cooled to a temperature of about 10 C. Considerable heat was evolved during the alcoholysis reaction; the reaction was allowed to continue until complete as evidenced by the cessation of further heat. The reaction mass was concentrated to one-half its original volume by distillation on a steam bath under reduced pressure, allowed to cool, and then treated with 1600 cc. of 50% aqueous potassium carbonate. The free ester thus liberated was then extracted with chloroform employing a total of about 4 liters of the solvent. The chloroform was then removed from the solvent solution by distillation and the residual oil distilled under reduced pressure to give bis (-carbomethoxyethyl) methylamine. One mole of the methylamine derivative was then dissolved in approximately 11/2 liters of dry naphtha (B. P. 1l5-148 C.) containing one mole of sodium methoxide. This mixture was then heated and the methanol, which was split out in the condensation reaction, was distilled out. The

heating was continued until the reaction was of two phases in the distillate at this point since v the naphtha and methanol are mmiscible. The reaction mixture was allowed to cool and the insoluble sodium enolate which separated was then dissolved in approximately a liter of cold water and acidiiied to Congo paper with concentrated hydrochloric acid to convert it into the free piperidone. The acid solution was then neutralized with solid potassium carbonate and the piperidone extracted with chloroform. Extraction was continued until a few drops of the extract gave no coloration With ferric chloride thusindicating that all the piperidone had been removed from the aqueous solution. The chloroform solution was dried over anhydrous potassium carbonate, the desiccant iiltered oi, and the bulk of the solvent then removed by distillation and the residue taken up in ether. The ether solution was then treated with dry HC1 whereupon the hydrochloride salt of the piperidone precipitated. This salt had a melting point of from 174 to 179 C. and was suiciently pure for use in the reduction step. grams of the hydrochloride salt were dissolved in 600 cc. of absolute methanol containing 5 grams of platinum oxide, and approximately 1/20 of a mole of l sodium methoxide was added thereto. This solution was then subjected to a hydrogen pressure of 4 to 5 atmospheres at room temperature for 8 hours while being continuously agitated. At the end of this time the piperidone had been converted to the corresponding 4-hydroxy-piperidine. This hydroxy-piperidine was recovered from the methanol solution by complete removal of the methanol by distillation under reduced pressure, and it was then dehydrated by adding thereto approximately 60 grams of thionyl chloride dropwise with stirring on a steam bath. When the reaction was completed the mass was cooled. dissolved in cold water, neutralized with potassium carbonate, .the areooline extracted fromithe aqueoussolution with chloroform,'the .chloroformremovedlfromfthe solvent solution by distillation..and theresidualoil which was obrtained distilled under ,reduced pressure to give .aimixture ofarecoline, andllits A.'45jisomer. `Another sample of ,lthe Ll-hydroigyfpi-peri'line was .similarly convertedfto arecolineexcept that, phosphorus oxychloride was employed as the Y'dehy- ,drating agent. y'The hydrbromdesalt of arecojlinewas A`isolated'ifrom "the crudeomixture of arec'oline and iits hr4, j isomer in both 'instances by dissolving Lthe crude `mixture infabsolute ethanol employing approximately $250 j-cc. v,of .ethanoljper AeachfjlOOigrams of #crude alkaloid, adding '513% absolute ethanolic HBr until the 'solution .was ,weakly acidic Aandthen `allowingv Athe solution to stand `for.i2f11hours:ina refrigerator ata tempera- Lture jo'f' ab 'out3`o C. The :arecolinelhydrobromide f `lprecipitated from "the solution, and was 'readily o `separatedby 'filtration This' salt, which had a meltingpoint of"I70 0 .was 'verypurefand was @quite suitable 'for any usepto w'hichthe naturally i :occurring ,arecoline obtained fromv betel nutsis ya'dapted.

Having described my invention, What I claim `asn'evvfand desirelto'secureby'Letters Patent is: 1. Inayprocess forithepproduction of arecoline, 'the ,steps comprising reacting bis-(-cyanoethyl) -amine' with formic acid'andjformaldehyde ,x

to produce bis `*-cyan'oethyl) methylamine, Vconverting 'the "bis-3-cyanoethyl) -methylamine to aibis 1 carbalkoxyethyD -methylamine by reacting it with van Valcohol 'selectedffromithe group consisting of methanol and ethanol, rcondensing the ester `thus obtained togive a l-methyl-S- 'carbalkoxy 4 piperidone, `hydrogenating this compoundxin the presence-iota small amount of a free organicbase selected from the 4group con- `'sisting dpiperidones andpiperidines to give'the `corresponding `4hydroxy=piperidine, and `de hydrating the 4- hydroxy-piperidine thus Y proifduced 'by contacting I the piperidine lcompound with a compound selected Y'from fthe, rsgroup ,consisting of thionyl chloride -and-'phosphorus oxyjchlorideintheabsence 'ofoa solventiforthe,piperidine fcompound. v '12. fIn-aprocessforltheproducti'on'of arecoline, the vsteps lcomprising Nreacting bis-'('ecyano- 1eth'yleaminewith' fori-nic: acid andV formaldehyde {to jproduce bis-'K--'cyanoethyD `methylamine, lconverting the bis-'(-,cyanoethyD -methylamine *to a bi-s-y (-carbalkoyethyl) -methylamine by reacting it with an'alcohol selected ffrom the group v'consisting of methanol and ethanol, condensing "the ester thus -o'cta-ined by `heating "it in the '-presencepf an-alkalinecondensing'agent 'selected "from `Ithe group consisting lof the nalkali metals, Ktheir alkoxides, amides, 'and hydri'des` to give a` lfmethyl-S-carbalkoxy-4-piperidone, "hydrogenating :this -compound in 'the presence of a small ffconverting *the bisjeecyanoethylf) -methylamine ,to a bis-l([8fcarbalkoxyethyl)emethylamine .by reacting yit .with an alcohol selected Vfrom Athe group .consisting of methanol and. ethanol, `said f'from the group consisting of pperidones fand piper'dines, and inthe presence of Adamsplati- 'num oxide catalystgto'give the A'corresponding '4- hydrcxygpiperidine, and dehydrating the hydro- Ychloride salt of the 4hydroxy4piperidine by'contasting it with a compound selected "fromfthe 'group 4consisting of thionylchloride andphosyphorous'oxychloride.in the absence of a solvent *fortheipiperidine compound.

4. The dehydration of Va 1-methyl-3-'carballloxy4#hydroxyfpiperidine 'to give a l-'methylj-iB- -carbalkoXy-A-S, li-piperidine wherein said dehydration is1carriedoutlay contacting the hydrochloride salt of the 4-hydroxypiperidine'with'a compound selectedfrom the group fconsis'ting'of Lthionyl chloride and phosphorus oxychlorideiin the'absence of a'solvent for lthe Ll-'hydroxy-piperidine compound.

*5. The reduction of ya l-methylB-carbalkoxy- -f-piperidone wherein the free piperidone 'isconsvertedito the hydrochloride sa-1t thereof, 'the-salt dissolved in a solvent selected from the vgroup consisting of methanol and ethanol, and the'salt -o'f the=piperidonecontacted with hydrogen under #pressure in `the presence of Adams platinum ox'idefcatalyst vandla small amount of a free 'organic base selected from the group consisting'of piperidones and piperidinesr-` =6. The reduction of a l-methyl-B-carbalkoxy- --piperidone Vwherein the free piperidonejs confverted"A to the hydrochloride salt -thereoithe;salt "dissolved in a solvent selected 'from the group feonsisting of methanol and ethanol, 'a small amount of the hydrochloride salt of the pipei- `doneisconverted to thefree organic vbase by re- Y-action with an inorganic base, andthe vsolvent fsol'u'tion 'thereafter contacted with hydrogen 'underpressure in the presence of Adams platinum oxide catalyst.

'7. In a process' for 'the production o f arecoline, the 4steps v'comprising reacting bis- (i6-cyanofethyl) -amine with forrnic acid and formaldehyde to produce"biseC-cyanoethyl-methylamine, re-

`acting v`the bis- ('-cyanoethyl) methylaxnine thus obtained with methanol to give bis-(-carbo- Eme'thoxye'thyl)methylamine, condensing this 'ester to ygive lemethyl-B-carbomethoXy-Li-piperl- "done hydrogenating the piperidone compound inthe'presence of a small amount of a'free'or- Agan'icbaseselected from the group consisting'fof :piperidones and vpiperidines to ,y give 1-methyl--3- -carbomethoxy-4-hydroxy-piperidine, and dehydrating the piperidine compound to giVe-areco- "line iby contacting the` piperidine compound with mea compound selected from thegroup consisting V=offthionyl chloride and phosphorus oxychloridefin y"the absence of'a solvent for the piperidine'comp oun'd. y

l3'. :in a process-for the production foffarecolin,

fthe -steps comprising reacting bis-'("-cyanov a-lkoxides, amides,

v l-methyl 3 carbomethoxy-4-piperidone, verting the free piperidone to the hydrochloride 'ethyli -amine with formic acid and formaldehyde to produce bis-(,B-cyanoethyl)-methylamine, re-

facting the bis-(-cyanoethyl) -rnethylamine thus obtained with methanol to give bis-(-carbomethoxyethyl)-methylamine, condensing this ester by heating it in the presence of an alkaline `v condensing agent selected from the group consisting of the alkali metals, their alkoxides, amides, and hydrides, to give l-methyl-3-carbomethoXy-l-piperidone, hydrogenating the piperin done compound in the presence of a small amount of al free organic base selected from the group 9, In a process for the production of arecoline,

v the steps comprising reacting bis-(-cyanoethyl) -amine with formic acid and formaldehyde to ,produce bis-(-cyanoethyl)-methylamine, converting the bis-(-cyanoethyl) -methylamine to bis-(-carbomethoxyethyl) -methylamine by reacting it with methanol containing approximately .20% of an anhydrous acid selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid,

4.condensing the ester thus obtained by heatingl vit in a hydrocarbon solvent in the presence of an alkaline condensing agent selected from the group consisting of the alkali metals, their and hydrides, to give lvmethyl-3-carbomethoxy-Ll-piperidone, converting the free piperidone to the hydrochloride salt thereof, reducing this compound by hydrogenation in the presence of a small amount of a free organic base selected from the group consisting l of piperidones and piperidines, and in the presence of Adams platinum oxide catalyst to give the corresponding -hydroxy-piperidine, and dehydrating the hydrochloride salt of the 4-hydroxy-piperidine by contactingV it with a compound selected from the group consisting of thionyl chloride and phosphorus oxychloride in the absence of a solvent for the piperidine comv pound.

l0. In a process for the production of arecoline,

'the steps comprising reacting bis-(-cyanoethyl) -amine with formic acid and formaldehyde to produce the group consisting of hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid, condensing the ester thus obtained by heating it in a hydrocarbon solvent in the presence of an alkaline condensing agent selected from the group consisting of the alkali metals, their alkoxides, amides, and hydrides, to give consalt thereof, dissolving this salt in a solvent selected from the group consisting of methanol v and ethanol, contacting the solution oi the piperidone salt with hydrogen under pressure in the presence of Adams platinum oxide catalyst and a small amount of l-methyl-3-carbornethoxy-4- selected from the group consisting oftthionyl chloride and phosphorus oxychloride in the absence of a solvent for the 1-methyl-3-carbomethoxy-4-hydroxy-piperidine hydrochloride.

ll. A process comprising reacting bis-(pcyanoethyD-amine with formic acid and formaldehyde to produce bis-(-cyanoethyl) -methylamine, converting the bis cyanoethyl) methylamine to bis- (-carbethoxyethyl) -methylamine by reacting it With ethanol containing approximately 20% of an anhydrous acid selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid, condensing the ester thus obtained by heating it in a hydrocarbon solvent in the presence of an alkaline condensingagent selected from the group consisting ofthe alkali metals, their alkoxides, amides, and hydrides, to give l-methyl-B-carbethoxy-4-piperidone, converting. the free piperidone to the hydrochloride salt thereof, dissolving this salt in a solvent selected from the group. consisting of methanol and ethanol, contacting the solution` of the piperidone salt with hydrogen under pressure in the presence cf a small amount of a free organic base selected from the group consisting of piperidones and piperidines, and in the presence of Adams platinum oxide catalyst, and dehydrating the i-methyl-3-carbethoxy-4-hydroxy-piperidine thus produced to give homo-arecoline by contacting the hydrochloride salt of the 1- methyl-S-carbethoXy-4-hydroXy-piperidine with a compound selected from the group consisting of thionyl chloride and phosphorus oxychloride in the absence of a solvent for the 1-methyl-3- carbethoxy-l-hydroxy-piperidine hydrochloride.

l2. A process for the production of arecoline comprising producing homo-arecoline by the .process of claim 10, hydrolyzing the homo-arecoline thus produced to give aracaidine, and reacting the arecaidine with methanol to give arecoline.

13. A process for the production of arecoline `comprising reacting bis-(-cyanoethyl) -amine with formic acid and formaldehyde to produce bis- (f8-cyanoethyl) -methylamine, converting the bis-(,-cyanoethyl)-methylamine to the bis-(,8- carbomethoxyethyl) -methylamine by reacting it With methanol containing approximately 20% of anhydrous HCl, condensing the ester compound thus obtained by heating it in dry naphtha in the presence of sodium methoxide to give l-methyl- 3-carbomethoXy-4-piperidona converting the free piperidone to its hydrochloride salt, dissolving the hydrochloride salt in methanol, contacting a small amount of an inorganic base With the hydrochloride saltl of the piperidone in the methanol, contacting the methanol solution With hydrogen under pressure in the presence of Adams platinum oxide catalyst, and dehydrating the l-methyl-3-carbomethoxy-4-hydroXy-piperidine thus produced to give arecoline by contacting the hydrochloride salt of the 1-methyl-3- carbomethoxy 4 hydroxy-piperidine with a compound selected from the group consisting of thionyl chloride and phosphorus oxychloride in the absence of a solvent for the l-methyl-B- carbomethoxy-fi-hydroXy-piperidine hydrochloride.

14. dehydration of l-methyl-3-carbomethoxy-4-hydroXy-piperidine to give l-methyl- A3-carbomethoizyA-3,4-pi1: eridine wherein said dehydration is carried out by contacting the hydrochloride salt of the 4hydroxypiperidine with a compound selected from the group. consisting of thionyl chloride and phosphorus oxychloride 13 in the absence of a solvent for the 4-hydroxypiperidine compound.

15. The dehydration of l-methyl-S-carbethoxy-l-hydroxy-piperidine to give l-methyl-3- carbethoxy-A-3,4piperidine wherein said dehydration is carried out by contacting the hydrochloride salt of the 4-hydroxy piperidine with a compound selected from the group consisting of thionyl chloride and phosphorus oxychloride in the absence of a solvent for the 4-hydroxy-piperidine compound.

16. In a process for the production of arecoline, the steps comprising reacting bis-(,B-cyanoethyl) -amine with formic acid and formaldehyde to produce bis- (,B-cyanoethyl) methylamine, converting the bis-(-cyanoethyl) -methylamine to bis(-carbomethoxyethyl)-methylamine by reacting it with methanol containing approximately 20% of an anhydrous acid selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid, condensing the ester thus obtained by heating it in a hydrocarbon solvent in the presence of an alkaline condensing agent selected from the group consisting of the alkali metals their alkoxides, amides, and hydrides, to give 1- methyl-3-carbomethoxy-4-piperidone, converting the free piperidone to the hydrochloride salt thereof, dissolving this salt in a solvent selected from the group consisting of methanol and LAWRENCE HOWLAND KNOX.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this ipatent:

FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Germany 1930 OTHER REFERENCES Dankova Chem. Abstracts, vol. 37 (1943) p, 381. Ugryumov Chem. Abstracts, vol. 35, p. 3644.

Karrer, Organic Chemistry, 2nd edition, p. 825.

Number 

11. A PROCESS COMPRISING REACTING BIS-(BCYANOTHYL)-AMINE WITH FORMIC ACID AND FORMALDEHYDE TO PRODUCE BIS-(B-CYANOETHYL)-METHYLAMINE, CONVERTING THE BIS-(B-CYANOETHYL) METHYLAMINE TO BIS-(B-CARBETHOXYETHYL)-METHYLAMINE BY REACTING IT WITH ETHANOL CONTAINING APPROXIMATELY 20% OF AN ANHYDROUS ACID SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HYDROCHLORIC ACID AND SULFURIC ACID, CONDENSING THE ESTER THUS OBTAINED BY HEATING IT IN A HYDROCARBON SOLVENT IN THE PRESENCE OF AN ALKALINE CONDENSING AGENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF THE ALKALI METALS, THEIR ALKOXIDES, AMIDES, AND HYDRIDES, TO GIVE 1-METHYL-3-CARBETHOXY-4-PIPERIDONE, CONVERTING THE FREE PIPEIDONE TO THE HYDROCHLORIDE SALT THEREOF, DISSOLVING THIS SALT IN A SOLVENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF MEHTANOL AND ETHANOL, CONTACTING THE SOLUTION OF THE PIPERIDONE SALT WITH HYDROGEN UNDER PRESSURE IN THE PRESENCE OF A SMALL AMOUNT OF A FREE ORGANIC BASE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PIPERIDONES AND PIPERIDINES, AND IN THE PRESENCE OF ADAMS'' PLATINUM OXIDE CATALYST, AND DEHYDRATING THE 1-METHYL-3-CARBETHOXY-4-HYDROXY-PIPERIDINE THUS PRODUCED TO GIVE HOMO-ARECOLINE BY CONTACTING THE HYDROCHLORIDE SALT OF THE 1METHYL-3-CARBETHOXY-4-HYDROXY-PIPERIDINE WITH A COMPOUND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF THIONYL CHLORIDE AND PHOSPHORUS OXYCHLORIDE IN THE ABSENCE OF A SOLVENT FOR THE 1-METHYL-3CARBETHOXY-4-HYDROXY-PIPERIDINE HYDROCHLORIDE. 